Complex Problems & Simple Solutions!

When we examine complex pieces of work, we are generally lost because the complexity gets to us and eventually overwhelms our thought process. We also think that work is being done by indulging in intricate, cognitive traction.

The other day, I was in a furious debate with some lay Europeans about Alexander, the Macedonian king's journey to the East from present-day Greece. What is evident is that Alexander was seeking conquest and, to prove himself, crossed over into present-day Turkey and challenged the might of the Persian Empire. After several pitched battles, he faced off against Darius III ( Daraya-Vahus ), the King of Kings at Isus. The Persians were routed! The tide was changing.

Alexander then veers towards Egypt, slices through unopposed, and eventually heads towards Babylon, the seat of Persian power in present-day Iraq. He crosses the Tigris River and faces off against Darius III at Gaugamela ( Iraq ) again. When the dust settles, Darius has fled the battlefield. The fate of the Persian empire is sealed. Alexander, now in a drunken orgy, burns the Persian imperial capital at Persepolis ( Iran ). An act of revenge for the Persians under Xerxes (Kshay - Arsha), levelling Athens a century earlier. People do remember.

Up to this point, everyone was on the same page! Alexander, reckless and ambitious, pushes East towards India. He has heard of India and its riches. The young king would have met trading Indians as well as soldiers. After slowly marching through Central Asia and present-day Afghanistan, his men reached the borders of Pakistan, where he seems to have fought an Indian king called Purushottama. Greek sources say he won but turned back and did not bother pushing further into India after befriending his defeated foe, Purushottama and handing his kingdom back. The quintessential spin doctors of the medieval age conjured up an exciting story.

Alexander died three years later in Babylon. Indian sources do not mention Alexander at all! He died suddenly in Babylon on June 11, 323 B.C. The cause of death is not known. The remarkable man was just thirty-three! The Greeks stayed on in Asia for another two centuries, and the latter Greeks are mentioned in Indian texts and historical sources.

My point is that Alexander's personality does not indicate that he would have withdrawn and gone home had he won. The man pushed all boundaries. First, he considers himself a demi-God, the son of Zeus and then a living God, the son of Amun-Ra, after crowning himself Pharaoh in Egypt! In all likelihood, he was defeated in a battle where, for the first time, his hoplites and cavalry came up against the Indian elephant. The Indian elephant was an ace in ancient warfare and probably explains why it took years for invaders to get deep into present-day India. He knew when he was outside his circle of competence! More importantly, Alexander is not mentioned in any Indian sources of the time, including Vishnu Sharma's ( Chanakya ) Arthashastra. Did the Indians of the time ignore him as a non-entity? Sometimes, the simplest explanation is the right one.

Alexander is an emotive issue in the West. After being harassed by the Persians for centuries, it was their turn to pay back.It took Europe another two thousand years to venture into Asia and India. However, conveniences need not be the truth, and answers are not necessarily more complicated than they are made out to be!